The Line Between Prosperity and Superiority
by xanaplayer
Summary: Movieverse: TF Xmen Xover The Autobots learn of the exisitence of mutants and realize how dangerous they can be. So what happens when the Decepticons learn of them?
1. Defining Attribute

A/N: Okay, this idea has been eating away at my brain for a while now. It's a TF-X2 crossover, meaning it takes place right after X2 and before X3. There will also be the occasional flashback as well. May or may not be pairings in this, I guess it depends on how this progresses. If I do have romance in this, the rating is probably going to go up. One more thing, I'm going to have a profile of the characters set up shortly, and yes, the OCs are based off of real people. So I'll let everyone know when that's done.

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"**The Line Between Prosperity and Superiority"**

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Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It is how we have evolved from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward.

Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence, they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet, debate rages. Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain? Or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share in the world? Either way, it is a historical fact: sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute…

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_It all happened so quickly. One moment, she was home with her family. The next, she was running for her life. Then, there was only darkness. Icy, soul-searing, painful darkness. The pain overcame her so quickly, and there was no way to escape it. She was trapped; unable to breathe…unable to die. She could only look onward as the chilling water began to take effect over her form, the temperature of it causing the agonizing numbness to come onto her even faster. Her eyes began to close in a reaction of her being starting to shut down altogether, while her thoughts consisted of regret, pain, and angst, very similar to the feeling of what her body was currently enduring. But then there was warmth. Salvation. She felt her body move in the faintest way, as if the waters around her were receding…or someone else was carrying her through the water. Whatever caused her to feel the sensation made her open her eyes slightly, as she was barely conscious now. The warmth around her continued to radiate off of the form carrying her, and as she lifted her head to see what it was, she could only see fire. No…not fire…a bird. A phoenix. She lost consciousness as she and her rescuer broke the surface of the water, but this time, the darkness was welcoming._

_She awoke some time later, her eyes closed and her body curled into a ball as she lay on the surface beneath her. It was quiet where ever she was, and she relished it. For the longest time she had gone without the simplicity of silence. Now she was able to rest. She continued to lay in her position, too far-gone to notice anything, not that she was able to do much of that after what she had been through recently. Beginning to drift into sleep again, she could see a light slowly starting to illuminate the room she was in through her eyelids. She would have opened her eyes, but her exhaustion that had gone unrealized had finally taken its toll. She was able to make out only a moment of what happened after that._

"_My god…" a man's voiced whispered "Scott…"_

"_I'm on it, professor." another man said. She could only guess that the footsteps that approached her were of the second man. After that, she could remember nothing else. _

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"What just happened?" asked a rather nervous Bumblebee.

"I have no idea," Ratchet said quietly "The only thing that my scans could detect was that their minds were undergoing serious trauma, but I have no idea as to what kind it was. This is completely beyond me."

"Do you think it could happen again?"

Ratchet was unsure how to respond. He looked over to Sam and Mikaela, concerned that whatever it was that caused them to suddenly collapse in pain for moments at a time was going to come back, and the worst part of it was, the couple weren't the only ones that had been hit with the feeling. Apparently, every human in the nation had been affected by it, and if the pain continued the way it did, it would have killed everyone.

"I…I'm not sure. I intend on running a long-range scan to see if I can find anything that could've been the source of all this."

Deep down, he knew he already had his answer. He was just too afraid to admit it. The possibility of a telepath on earth caused him to shudder, horrid memories of the war passed flashing into his processor. A telepath on earth would mean trouble of the worst kind. The thoughts were quickly brushed away as more important priorities resurfaced. He would have to find of way of defending them against an enemy that had no need for physical combat.

Little did he know that another war began to stir, unaware that humans weren't the only ones that would have dominance over the planet…

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A/N: Short and illogical, I know. But the next chapter is already halfway written. So there you go. Please review if you like it. It helps the whole writing process. I'm taking suggestions as well, so I'd be happy to hear any ideas out there.


	2. Uneasy Interlude

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**-- 2/21/08: Author's Note, Technical Error --**

**A/N:** Hey readers. Just to let you guys know- chapter 2 is written, and anyone who added this to their story alert list got an email saying there was a new chapter posted yesterday. Just to make things clear, I tried to put it up, but its display is being weird so I'm pretty sure it's just a technical error on I'll try to post it again later on this afternoon. Sorry for the wait and all the confusion.

:EDIT: Nevermind. It's working correctly now. The chapter is now posted.

**-A17**

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"_How the hell did she survive?"_

These were the first words she heard as she woke, the florescent lighting nearly blinding her as she stirred. She made to shift into a more comfortable position, only to realize she was strapped down. That feeling alone trigged a ravaging fear within her, causing her struggle against the binding. This sort of thing reminded her of a past she wanted nothing more than to forget.

"It's alright, Angel. You don't need to struggle. You're safe now." a familiar voice said somewhere beyond her vantage point.

"Xavier? What's going on? Where's Ja--"

"Calm down, child. I realize that you have a lot of questions, but you need to cooperate with us."

The man in question, Charles Xavier, came into view as he stopped by the side of her medical bed. He looked at her expectantly, as if he were waiting for a smart remark from her. To his surprise, he didn't receive one.

"No offense, professor, but I can't exactly remain calm while I'm strapped down to a table in a science lab." Angel whimpered turning her head so she could vaguely face him.

"You're under restraint for your own protection. I know that it's an uncomfortable position to you, but it's only temporary."

"Wow, I feel so lucky. This is just like when I was with my dad." She replied with venomous sarcasm.

"I know Angel, I know." Xavier said as the sedative he had given her abruptly took effect causing her to become relaxed and fall asleep once again.

"I don't get. We saw her die back at Alkali Lake with Jean. How is she even alive right now?"

"That question remains to be answered, Logan." Charles replied sadly, "I don't want to stress her mind anymore at the risk of harming her. She still needs to recover more from what Stryker did to her, so I'm afraid we'll have to wait a little longer for our answers..." he finished, his voice trailing off. _'I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, AJ' _He sighed, thinking back to when he first met her. She had come to his school at the young age of 16, traumatized from her parents' reaction of their discovery of her being a mutant. Now, 10 years later, that same girl lay before him just as broken as she was when she first arrived. Of course, being that his caring demeanor showed sympathy for -almost- any mutant, this particular case hit him harder, being that Angel was his only adoptive daughter.

"Professor...if she survived...there could be hope for Jean-"

"Logan, while I understand that Angel's survival causes new hope to arise, I think it wise not to hinder on whether or not Jean escaped her fate."

"But that doesn't mean-"

"I'll let you know when we will be able to interrogate her. Until then, patience is a virtue that you must maintain." Xavier said ending the conversation with his tone.

At that, Logan made his way out of the room, finding himself using all of his self-control not to slash anything with his claws on the way, and keep his anger under control. _'I hate when he leaves these things so cryptic.'_

_'I do so within good reason, Logan.'_

Logan just grunted at the professor's intrusion into his mind. He was used to it at this point. Nasty little habits develop when you're a telepath...

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Ratchet had long since been conducting experiments and running scans to look for signatures that could effect a human's brain wave patterns. So far he found very little, and the only things that were remotely promising turned into dead ends.

"So how's the cure for the epidemic coming?" The medic turned to see Will Lennox entering the medical bay.

"Ah, Captain. Nothing as of yet, I'm afraid. How are Sarah and Annabelle fairing?" Ratchet answered, his attention rather distant.

"They've been doing better, but I'd rather not take any chances."

"Likewise." was all Ratchet said back to him, clearly making the impression he was busy.

"Do you think it could've been a mutant?" Will asked, trying to aide in his friend's predicament.

Ratchet turned to face Will now, his attention grabbed by the last spoken word, "Mutant?"

"...yeah. You know...people that have powers that aren't normally found in the genetic makeup- until now that is. The president is giving an address to the nation later on tonight regarding the attack."

"I wasn't aware that your species was susceptible to such a form of mutation." Ratchet blinked, still processing the information. Why hadn't he ever heard of this before? When he had first arrived on earth, his first action was scanning the internet to learn about the culture and such, but never noticed a topic of this…_degree._

"I'm guessing this is new for you then?" Will asked bluntly, "I wouldn't be surprised, though. The government tries to keep the mutation phenomenon as quiet as possible-"

"Is it common? The range of mutation?" Ratchet asked interrupting him

"Can't say for sure. No one knows how many there are. Most of 'em stay hidden because the feared by everyone else. I don't really blame them for it, though. The rumors of what some of these mutants are able to do is...unnerving to say the least."

"Would these mutants be capable of say...a telepathic assault?" Ratchet

cut in, his processor still working through all the information Will was giving him.

"What? Like a psychic or something? It's possible I guess, I mean I wouldn't doubt it."

"Thank you for bringing this up, Captain. This may prove extremely useful if my theory is correct..."

"No problem" Will said, walking to leave Ratchet alone with his thoughts.

_'Prime,'_ Ratchet said through a private comm. link, _'We may have a situation. This attack may be worse than we had anticipated...'_

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A/N: I am so sorry, guys! You have no idea how guilty I feel for posting this so late. It was supposed to be so much longer than this, and it was until I lost everything when my mac crashed on me and I only had one part backed up. Good news is I have an outline of it on paper, so at least I have a general concept of it that I can't lose. And thanks for all the hits by the way! I had no idea it would get so many readers, but please REVIEW if you read this. It would mean a lot to me…especially if anyone seems out of character outside of the OCs. Thank you!


	3. Surreality

**A/N:** Wow. Got rammed by inspiration this morning. Got to watch the first X-Men movie last night, so now I have it for reference! Yeah, it's a little longer than most chapters by far as well- almost 1,800 words. Sweet. By the way, just wanted to point out: _italics indicate flashbacks or thought._

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"My fellow Americans, in this time of adversity we are being offered a moment, a moment to recognize a growing threat within our own population and take a unique role in the shape of human events. Today I have been given an opportunity to shed light on recent occurrences from the attack that ended in this office, to the unexplained phenomenon that swept the earth, nearly annihilating our way of life…"

As the President of the United States began his address to the nation once again, his feeling of unease refused to disappear as his speech was broadcasted to millions of viewers across America. The emotion wasn't one fault of his nerves…no he was used to giving appearances and public announcements such as this. But one of his previous encounters with a group of mutants that had just made their appearance in the Oval Office had shaken him out of his comfort zone.

"_These files were taken from the private offices of William Stryker," the man that had formally introduced himself as Charles Xavier began as he motioned for a young girl beside him, abruptly placing a dark colored folder in front of him._

_He glanced down at the file before he could find his voice again after losing due to the unscheduled visit of several mutants now standing in various spots of the Oval Office. "Where did you get these?" he asked, beginning to browse through its contents._

"_Well…let's just say I know a little girl who can walk through walls," the man in front of him chuckled lightly._

"_I've never seen these before," the president answered him as the figures around him watched his movements intently._

"_I know."_

"_Then you also know that I don't respond well to threats," he answered quickly_

"_Mr. President, this is not a threat. This is an opportunity. There are forces in this world, both human and mutant alike that believe that a war is coming. You will see from those files that some have already tried to start one…and there have been casualties; losses on both sides… Mr. President, what you are about to tell the world is true: this is a moment, a moment to repeat the mistakes of the past…or to work together for a better future. We're here to stay, Mr. President; the next move is yours."_

"_We'll be watching." Another mutant said as their conversation drew to a close. The storm outside immediately faded just as soon as it had brewed. The power in the room returned, along with the consciousness of every other human present, now staring at a speechless leader of America on a now live television feed. _

"Mr. President?" a camera assistant whispered as the silence dragged on, "Mr. President, are you alright sir?"

And so he began his address with a fresh perspective…one he would hope would help lead the nations out of a war that could be avoided.

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"I don't think our visit will change anything, professor. As much as I _hate_ to admit it…Magneto's right."

"I know Scott, but as I've said before, circumstances being what they are, we need to prolong this upcoming war as long as we possibly can. America's must already deal with one threat overseas. The last thing we want is another threat hitting innocent lives here- closer to home. There are so many humans that are oblivious to the dangers that exist in this world, and we aren't the only ones who want to keep it that way…"

"So what about Angel? It's only a matter of time before she's hunted down again, and we can't exactly hide her from her own parents."

"No, but we can keep her away. They think she's dead. Her father doesn't even know what she looks like, at the very least he hasn't even met her, and her mother knows little to nothing about her daughter after she ran away. It's been some time since Angel has last seen her real family, and I don't think it's the best idea to make their introductions after so long a time…"

Scott stayed silent as Xavier continued to think. Part of him was against keeping Angel locked up here, but at the same time, he couldn't argue. He knew all too well what could happen to the poor girl if she returned with her mother, and God only knew how warped her mind could become after recovering from such a fragile state.

"I'll see what she has to say about all this. With our luck, she probably doesn't remember much with that injury she took to her head," Xavier stated as he turned to exit his office, "and Scott?"

"Yes professor?"

"I'll see what she knows about Jean,"

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"So what now? The president doesn't seem too shaken about the attack, and it's not like we can lead our own investigation into all this," Mikaela quipped as the Address to the nation finally ended.

"As a matter of fact, we can," Optimus replied, "We just have to ensure than we remain hidden."

"The location in Westchester, New York seems promising. There were quite a few news reports last week of it being an 'underground mutant movement' as it was put." Ratchet stated, "It seems promising."

"Yeah, I remember that. A few of my guys were called in to do damage control. Apparently, a military scientist who had looked into it and was leading the assault authorized it. Haven't heard any reports of him or the operation since then though." Will said thinking back to when he first got a call to take part on the mission.

"_Good evening, Major Lennox. This is Colonel William Stryker. I'm calling to ask if you and your team would be able to assist me in an operation I'll be leading this following evening."_

"_I'm sorry, sir. I'm unable to help you. However if you wanted the means to contact other members of my team, they might say otherwise."_

"_Then may I request permission for aide from a select few of your team, Major?"_

"_Yes sir."_

"_Excellent. Thank you for your time, Major Lennox."_

"What was the reason behind the assault?"

"No idea. He didn't say. I can guarantee it wasn't for the mutants' benefit though."

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked, his attention slowly returning from the somewhat boring television broadcast.

"Well think about- most of the world either fears or hates mutants…or both… and right now back in Washington, the Supreme Court is trying to pass a Mutant Registration Act that makes every mutant in America practically placed into custody and registered so that the government can keep tabs on them. Obviously that's gonna create tension. With that conflict going on, and the first vote to pass the Registration Act failed, some groups are probably going to do everything in their power to ensure that this Act becomes reality."

"What does this have to do with that military scientist? As far as I see it, it's political. It's too far out of this guy's way to be involved in anything that big." Mikaela said confused.

"While that's true, it still won't stop him from being involved. Stryker's main study as a scientist was to help reverse or stop the mutation phenomenon. He spent his whole life trying to solve the mutant problem. I'm sure he wasn't exactly ecstatic when he found out the Registration Act failed. I have no doubt that he was leading that attack. The thing that scares me is what happened to the mutants he captured once he got into the place. Stryker isn't really known for his discretion of resentment toward mutants."

"What happened to the mansion's residents then?" Ratchet asked, his concern as a medic bleeding into his tone.

"I don't know. I'm guessing everything's back to normal now. According to Fig, the soldiers coordinating the operation left quickly after his wave of teams arrived. From what he told me, they took a lot of equipment with them. He said it looked like some kind of advanced electrical, but knowing the men that were there, it was probably something else. I'll contact the Secretary of Defense tomorrow and see if I can get in touch with Stryker." Will said as his mind continued to think on what happened between that night of the assault and attack.

"Optimus, I'd like to investigate the location for myself if possible. I feel there may be more of a story behind all of this then we know." Ratchet put in as the conversation began to close

"Granted, but I'd like to you to assemble a team to go along, both human and Autobot. Given the lack of Decepticon activity lately, it seems we can afford this. I want reports of anything you may find." Optimus answered, "Perhaps it would be best if we headed to Washington regardless. You said that when you last talked to the Secretary that he wanted to meet with us correct, Will? This may be a good opportunity to do so."

"Road trip?" Sam asked excitedly. _'If getting involved in politics means this sorta stuff'_ Sam thought, _'I'll become a freakin' Daughter of America if I have to.'_

"Yeah. I'll put a word in to him when I speak with him tomorrow." Will stated.

"Good. Would it be possible for you and your team to accompany us? They by far have had the most experience with us." Optimus asked.

"I don't see why not. We haven't been called in too much lately. Might be good to see a little action."

"For our sakes, I hope we don't. The last thing we need I conducting repairs in a location where we won't be properly equipped to do so." Ratchet quipped rather irritably.

Optimus inwardly smirked at Ratchet's comment. However, he was right. The last thing that they needed was the act for repairs, and taking into consideration of how quiet things had been since Mission City, it fed the fear even more. Nothing good ever came from the Decepticons- even if they weren't doing anything. It was a bad sign. If there was no activity, it meant they were planning, and whatever they were planning it couldn't possibly be good, especially now that Starscream was commanding their forces…

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**A/N:** Next up, we find out what conspiracy lies within Xavier's school, the Autobots have their first glimpse of what mutants are capable of, and we finally get to see what the evil side has been up to. Dear God, that's gonna be a headache to write…


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